


Introducing Family to One's Heart

by Tormented_Gale



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Rappigs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2014-10-23
Packaged: 2018-02-22 06:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2498288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tormented_Gale/pseuds/Tormented_Gale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peony decides it's high-time for Nephry to meet the rest of his strange family.</p><p>Tumblr Prompt: NephryXPeony, Fluff</p>
            </blockquote>





	Introducing Family to One's Heart

"You didn’t."

"Yes, I did."

"No, Peony."

He smiles - she’s the only one who uses his name anymore instead of ‘Emperor’ this and ‘Your Majesty’ that.

"Yes, Nephry."

They stand side by side in the most beautifully sunlit room in the palace. Couches and chairs scattered about hold toys and beds and treats of every size and shape. The inhabitants of the room clearly are well taken care of, and squeal with delight at the sight of their best friend.

Peony kneels and lets the rappigs sniff him and nudge up against him. He pets each one, scratching behind the ears of several and under the chin of the only one with snot dripping from its nose.

"You actually - " He can hear the unbridled laugh she’s desperately hanging onto, and he finds himself relieved that she isn’t downright angry with him. Soon she kneels beside him, and the rappigs hurry over to her to begin their examination.

"That’s Saphir," he says, nodding to the one that looks head over heals happy upon meeting Nephry. Peony, of course, takes that as the normal reaction for when anyone or anything meets Nephry. She’s the sunlight on a cloudy day, the moonlight that sparks the stars into shining, the joy and the happiness, and he can’t for a moment recall why he ever separated himself from her.

"And this one?" she questions, a rappig before her sitting with the utmost attention like a gentleman.

"Jade."

Nephy can’t stop herself; she bursts out laughing, her hand covering her mouth but the sound keeps coming, and Peony nearly glows. He slips his hand into hers and squeezes her fingers, his thumb gently rubbing her knuckles.

"Over there, that’s Gailardia, and the one with the two spots on his forehead is Luke. They’re nearly inseparable."

The two rappigs in question were currently cuddled up together under a couch. Apparently walking over, meeting someone new, and getting their well-deserved pats and scratches was enough to warrant naptime.

Peony pauses when he feels one of the older rappigs gently but her head against his hand, and his smile is gentle as he pets her ears back. Nephry seems to notice the change in atmosphere, and she squeezes his hand gently as she nods to her.

"This is Gelda," he says, and she understands, and he loves that too about her. There’s nothing he doesn’t love about her, but the way she can read him like a book without ever reading a page always touches him in a way no one else can.

"She’s beautiful," Nephry comments, and Peony smiles, and the tiny fracture in the peace is gone.

"Aslan is the one trying to stuff himself behind the curtains," Peony swiftly continues, and sure enough he gets a look from the rappig tangled in blue. Nephy’s smile grows and she holds in another laugh valiantly, but he sees it in the reddening of her cheeks.

His final rappig, one with a beautiful bow around her neck, walks over as demurely as a rappig can. She rubs against Nephry’s legs, ears bending softly, and grunts almost gently. Nephy pets her, letting the rappig but her head against her knee, and looks up at Peony…

…whose cheeks have actually gone red.

"Peony?" she asks, and he chuckles to hide his growing grin.

"This is Nephry," he introduces, and she stills, and just looks at him. He stares back, begging her to not either throttle him or laugh at him, and instead she just squeezes his hand again and shakes her head.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I didn’t actually believe you had a rappig named after me."

"Well… she doesn’t  _quite_ stand up to your beauty - “

Nephry the rappig lets out an indignant snort, and Peony quickly moves to reassure her with strokes along her ears. Nephry the human being just giggles and joins in.

"Thank you for that, at least."

They’re quiet, but that’s fine - Peony likes it when there’s no pressing matter to attend to, no monotonous old folks demanding his attention on matters of trivial politics. He cares for his people, not for the foolish heads of state, and does what he can to bypass those too dumb to see the harm being done to the people.

"You have that  _hmm_ look on your face.”

"What’s a  _hmm_ look?”

"It’s when you scrunch your nose up - yes, just like that."

Except he’s making a ridiculous face and they both know it. His hand is still holding hers, and its warm but not too hot, perfect as he hoped. Slowly they rise together, and the rappigs allow them with some minor snorts and huffs of slight irritation.

"May I escort you to a perfect luncheon, milady?" Peony says and offers his arm. Though Nephry takes it, and there’s a blush on her face, she takes a haughty attitude.

"I suppose that would be acceptable."

He steals a kiss to her cheek and grins at the deepening blush as he leads her from the room, the rappigs snorting their happiness for the pair behind them.


End file.
